Skin prick test reactivity to common aeroallergens in relation to total IgE, respiratory symptoms, and smoking in a general population sample of northern Italy

Abstract

. Skin prick test reactivity to common aeroallergens in relation to total IgE, respiratory symptoms, and smoking in a general population sample of northern Italy. Allergy 1996: 51: 149-156. 0 Munksgaard 1996.Skin prick test (SPT) reactivity to common airborne allergens and its relationships to sex, age, smoking habits, and respiratory symptoms/ diseases were evaluated in a general population sample (12 =2841, 8-75 years of age) living in the Po delta area (northern Italy). Subjects completed a standardized questionnaire and underwent prick tests ( 12 local allergens, a negative and a positive control) and determination of total serum IgE. Atopy was evaluated by measuring the maximal diameter for each allergen, after subtracting that of the negative control. Thirty-one percent of subjects showed a positive skin response at a 3-mm threshold. Pollens, Derinutophugoides pteronyssinus, and D. firrinlrcl caused the highest frequencies of reactions. Young people and those who had never smoked had higher prevalence rates of SPT reactivity. Asthma, asthma symptoms, and rhinitis were significantly associated with SPT reactivity in both sexes (cough only in females) and with the number of positive reactions. IgE values were also significantly associated with SPT reactivity. In conclusion, our findings indicate that almost one-third of the general population of an Italian rural area is skin test positive, emphasizing the importance of assessing atopy in respiratory epidemiologic surveys.A series of respiratory epidemiologic studies in general population samples was carried out over the last years to improve our knowledge of the natural history of airways obstructive disease (AOD) (1,2). These studies aimed at evaluating the frequency of AOD in different geographic areas and the role of risk factors such as cigarette smoking, occupational exposure to bronchoirritant agents, familial predisposition t o AOD, childhood respiratory illnesses, outdoor and indoor pollution, and atopy ( 3 , 4).In particular, atopy, as assessed by skin test reactivity, is considered a risk factor for asthma and for bronchial hyperresponsiveness, which is regarded as the main functional characteristic of asthma ( 5 , 6).Beside the standard evaluations by respiratory questionnaire and lung function, additional tests to assess the immunologic status of subjects were SPT are well correlated with specific IgE; however, recent data indicate that the presence of SPT reactivity does not have the same meaning as increased level of total serum IgE; thus, both determinations should be available in order to have a complete and precise evaluation of the immunologic status (9). U p to now, only a few population-based data showing the association of SPT reactivity to respiratory symptoms in adults have been available. These studies reported a higher prevalence of wheeze and asthmatic attacks in SPT+ subjects, while no consistent relationship was demonstrated between SPT reactivity and chronic cough, chronic phlegm, and dyspnea ( 5 , 10, 1 1 ).The negative health c...

Proportional Venn diagram and determinants of allergic respiratory diseases in Italian adolescents

“…Thus, as previously demonstrated by Sears et al in New Zealand boys and girls (18), asthma is strongly associated with atopy in adolescents. In another Italian population study, atopy was also associated with asthma and asthma-like symptoms in both sexes (19). Similarly, in the present study, we found that sensitization to indoor perennial allergens was associated with a significantly increased prevalence of CA also in dermatophagoides monosensitized individuals.…”

Role of Allergen Sensitization in Older Adults

“…[33] In another study of the general population in Italy by Baldacci et al, a higher prevalence of positive SPT, particularly to dust mites, was demonstrated in younger individuals with higher total serum IgE levels. [34] A very similar analysis of the same region conducted by Sapigni et al revealed that younger patients (8-14 years old) had the highest prevalence of SPT reactivity to house-dust mite and pollens and that a declining prevalence of positive SPT and total IgE exists with age. [35] With the use of SPT as a measure of atopy, there appears to be consistency in the finding that atopy declines with age.…”

Maternal Exposure to Secondhand Cigarette Smoke Primes the Lung for Induction of Phosphodiesterase-4D5 Isozyme and Exacerbated Th2 Responses: Rolipram Attenuates the Airway Hyperreactivity and Muscarinic Receptor Expression but Not Lung Inflammation and Atopy

“…Interestingly, prenatal and postnatal exposure to CS may affect immune and inflammatory responses differently (12, 13). For example, some allergic diseases and ulcerative colitis are less common in adult smokers than nonsmokers (1, 14–18), whereas ex-smokers are more likely to develop asthma than current smokers (19, 20). Moreover, in animal models, chronic exposure of adult animals to mainstream CS or nicotine suppresses innate and adaptive immune responses (1, 21–24), and even SS moderates some parameters of allergic asthma in mice (25).…”